Tsoureki
An Original Recipe by Lorraine Elliott
Preparation time: 35 minutes plus 1 hour 20 minutes rising time
Cooking time: 30 minutes
- 500g/1.1lbs bread flour plus extra for rolling
- 1/2 cup water
- Finely grated zest from 2 oranges
- 150ml/5flozs. orange juice (I used the juice from the 2 oranges, top up with water if needed)
- 18g/0.6ozs. mahlepi
- 1 tablespoon instant dried yeast
- 2 eggs, at room temperature
- 1/2 cup honey
- 100g/3.5ozs. butter, cubed at room temperature
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 beaten egg for egg wash
- 1/2 cup flaked almonds or pine nuts
Red Eggs
- 3 cooled boiled eggs (I made 5 in case one or two cracked)
- 2 teaspoons liquid red food dye
- 1 teaspoon white vinegar
Mahlepi can be found at Greek delis. If you can't find it, you can use ground cardamom which has a different flavour but is very tasty and aromatic.
Step 1 - Take out 1/6 cup of the total flour and whisk with 1/2 cup of water in a small saucepan until smooth. Heat on medium heat until you get a roux and it reaches 65C/149F. Remove from heat and whisk in eggs and honey and bring the temperature down to 45C/113F.
Step 2 - Meanwhile mix the remaining flour, orange zest, orange juice, mahlepi and yeast. Add the roux mixture and knead on the slowest setting using a dough hook until it becomes elastic.
Step 3 - Add the cubed butter and knead until it becomes very elastic and you can see the window pane effect (where you pull apart the dough and it doesn't break). Roll into a ball and place in a large bowl (I just use the same bowl) and cover and keep in a warm place to rise to 2-3 times its original size (around an hour). Knead the salt into the dough.
Step 4 - While the dough is doing its first proof make the eggs. In a bowl mix the red food dye with the vinegar and then spoon the red dye onto the eggs until a bright red colour is reached. The vinegar helps the red dye set into the eggshell.
Step 5 - Preheat oven to 180C/350F. Flour a large sheet of parchment and divide the dough into three equal portions. Roll out into a log shape around 60cms/2 feet long. Attach them together at one end and then plait the three logs together.
Step 6 - Shape into a plaited round. Brush with egg wash and sprinkle with the nuts and nestle three eggs into the dough and allow it to rise again (around 15 minutes). Bake in the oven for 25 minutes.